A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains generally to the art of methods and apparatuses regarding vehicle occupant head support and more specifically to methods and apparatuses regarding vehicle headrest assemblies.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the art of automotive vehicles to provide seat assemblies for supporting occupants in a seated position within the vehicle. Generally, each seat assembly includes a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat back supports the back of an occupant who is seated on the seat cushion. It is also known in the art to provide seatbacks that can be folded or position adjusted in some manner from the use position (where the seatback is roughly perpendicular to the seat cushion) to a relatively downward and/or storage position.
Often known seat assemblies include a headrest assembly that is typically mounted on the seat back for supporting the head of the occupant. Usually the headrest assembly extends above the top of the seat back and is operable to receive an occupant's head both during normal driving conditions, especially during acceleration, as well as during unusual and extreme conditions such as during a collision. It is known to provide headrest assemblies that can be position adjusted in order to adapt to occupants of various heights. Some headrest assemblies can be adjusted both in the up-and-down direction and in the fore and aft direction. A growing number of countries are requiring vehicle manufacturers to produce seats with increased seat and back heights for increased protection for an occupant during a collision.
However, increasing the height of seatbacks in rear seat assemblies results in reduced or otherwise obstructed rearward visibility for front seat occupants, especially for the driver. In addition, the headrest assembly may have to be removed before the seat back can be position adjusted. Therefore, it is desirable to have a headrest assembly that can be adjustable between an upright use position and a downward and/or “out-of-the-way” position to improve rearward visibility for the driver when the seats are not in use. It is also desirable to have a headrest assembly that can be position adjusted to reduce the amount of space required when a seat back is folded down.
Although many known methods work well for their intended purpose, several disadvantages exist. One known disadvantage is the requirement for a complicated lock mechanism for maintaining the headrest in the upright position. Another known disadvantage is the requirement for an increase in thickness of the folding headrest due to the lock mechanism.